Juvenile blocks



Aug. 7 1923. mwmn w. c. HADLEY JUVENILE BLOCKS Filed Agg. 2 -1920w/mssEs muzlemowy A TTORNE Y8 Patented Aug. 7, 1923.

7 p4 units r.eras erase l, b an WALTER O. HADLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR 'lO CENTRAL TALKING MACHINE SHOP, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

JUVENILE BLOCKS.

Application filed August 20, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER C. HADLEY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Juvenile Blocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The present invention relates to juvenile blocks, and more particularlyto a set of blocks arranged to rest upon the projecting ends of thewhite keys of an automatic or self-playing piano, and having upon theirfaces amusing pictures of humans and animals, to simulate dancing andjumping figures, said blocks being cubical in form; and also embodyingspacing blocks to be interposed between the cubical blocks, all theblocks being operated by the up and down movement of the white keys ofthe piano while playing a piece of music.

To the above ends, the present invention consists of a set of blockscomprising a plurality of cubical blocks with intermediate spacingblocks, the cubical blocks being along one line substantially the widthof two white keys of a piano, and the intermediate spacing blockssubstantially the width of a single white key.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 shows in front elevation a plurality of the blocks arranged inoperative position upon the white keys of a piano, and illustrating theoperation thereof;

Figure 2 shows a vertical cross-sectional 7 view through a portion ofthe piano, and

showing in side elevation a portion of one of the black and one of thewhite keys of a piano, and also in side elevation one of the cubicalblocks and one of the spacing blocks;

Figure 3 shows in perspective, one of the cubical blocks; 1

Figure at shows in perspective one of the spacing blocks. 7

As shown in Figure 3, the cubical block 1 will have'upon one or more ofits faces, and preferably each face, a picture of a figure, 2, which maybe either dancing human figures, or as shown in Figure 1, animalfigures. These blocks are made of any suitable light material, eitherlight wood or cardboard. Each edge 3 of the blocks 1 will Serial No.404,968.

preferably be substantially the width of two of the white piano keys 1.Co-operating with the blocks 1 are spacing blocks 5, which in verticalcross section are substantially triangular in shape. The base of thetriangle 6 is substantially the width of white key 4. From the base 6,the sides of the block 5 converge on the inclined lines 7, meeting atthe apex 8. Upon the triangular faces at the ends of the blocks 5, areshown figures 9, which may be either of humans or animals. In operation,the spacing blocks 5 are interposed between two cubical blocks as shown,in Figure 1, the spacing blocks 5 resting upon one of the white keys 1of the piano, and the cubical blocks upon two immediately adjacent keys.length of the spacing blocks 5 and the lines 3 of the cubical blocks 1will be substantially the length of the white keys 4. as they proPreferably, the

ject beyond the black keys 10, whereby the black eyes form a positioningstop for the blocks, as is shown in Figure 2.

' In operation, the blocks being positioned on the projecting ends ofthe white keys as shown in Figure 1, as the white keys rise and fall thecubical blocks will tip sidewise, assuming that only one of the pair ofkeys upon which the block rests is moved, giving the impression ofdancing? figures. The spacing blocks rise and fall with the white keyson which they are mounted.

Having described my invention, 1 claim as new:

1. A set of juvenile blocks comprising a plurality of blocks providedwith substantially rectangular faces, one face of which is substantiallythe width of two white keys of a piano, and a plurality of spacingblocks having inclined sides and a base substantially the width of asingle white key of a piano, the spacing blocks being of less heightthan the other blocks, and all of said blocks bearing upon one faceamusing pictures.

2. A set of juvenile blocks comprising a plurality of cubical blockseach face of which is substantially the width of two white keys of apiano, and a plurality of spacing blocks having inclined sides and abase substantially the width of a single white key of a piano, thespacing blocks being of less height than the cubical blocks and saidblocks bearing upon their faces amusing pictures.

WALTER o. HADLEY.

